Dear Diary…

My healthy journey–backwards!

I live a super clean diet, and have been living it for over 5 years. I love feeling energetic, lively, free of heartburn, and aches and pains.

My athsma and allergies improved dramatically after changing over my diet, in fact, I was able to get off all of the meds I had been on my entire life. The only exception was when our area was hit with a terrible inversion from the cold smoggy air, trapped in the valley. That’s gotten worse each winter and over the last few years and I can tell my lungs don’t like it a bit.

When I looked at the side effects of the meds I once used, I decided it wasn’t worth taking anything, at least not at this point. So I went into my doctor (an MD who resorts to natural remedies and healing first) and she gave me an allergy antagen shot. Then she decided to check for food allergies as well. I thought that was a great idea until she said I’d need to add back in some of the things I haven’t eaten for 5 years for the rest of the week, then I’ll be tested on Friday.

I nodded, trying to sort out what I would now eat. I’ve been off of sugar, gluten, dairy, soy, and nightshades so it seems like it would be time to party, with an open invite to eat away, right? But actually, it didn’t turn out to be quite the party I immediately expected.

DAY ONE – the first 24 hours…

LUNCH.

I didn’t leave my doctor’s office until after 2 pm today, and I was starving. Since it was an hour and a half drive, I decided to stop at a cute Mexican restaurant closeby, and order something I had really missed. I wasn’t sure what it would be. I actually used to love chimichangas, but ruled that out immediately. The thought of adding transfats back in, made me cringe. I had no desire to do that, so chimichangas were off the list before I entered the restaurant.

I stepped inside and looked at a menu. It seems like I’d want to order everything on there, doesn’t it? But I looked through it 3 times, and nothing jumped out at me. I thought to myself, “What items have I really missed?” Again, nothing. Actually, I did see one thing on the menu that really sounded good. You’ll never believe what it was…a salad. Really? Not only that, but I even quizzed the waitress, asking what type of lettuce was in it. As soon as she said it had spring greens (an no iceberg) I was onboard. Ugh, I AM a nerd. But maybe it’s the association I’ve developed of feeling better with every bite vs. the alternative? I don’t know, but that salad was delicious.

They also had a bakery window at the counter with all kinds of baked desserts. I looked at it and had no inclination. Then I told myself, I needed to eat gluten and there was a perfect haven of gluten, staring at me. But I don’t think they’re testing me for sugar on friday, and whether they do or not, staying away from it is probably one of the best things I can do for my immune system, and beyond that, I have zero desire to introduce sugar back into my diet again–ever!

But I guess I wasn’t a total failure, because I did manage to add back in some dairy, which was in the salad dressing and creamy salsa. It tasted good, but left me feeling a way I haven’t felt in ages–bloated.

That afternoon, I made up a beautiful smoothie. I’m finishing up our Smoothies & Shakes ebook, and needed to take some pictures, but I also feel like if I have to fill my body with junky foods, at least my smoothies will help move the heavy foods through my system. Plus, I love how much better smoothies make me feel, even as I eat them.

I like to eat something alongside my smoothies, to get a greater benefit by activating my digestive enzymes. So I found a loaf of my husband’s glutenous bread, and popped it in the toaster. I opened a jar of his peanut butter and slathered it on. It tasted good, but between that and the earlier dairy, I began feeling another old, familiar feeling working it’s way back. Heartburn. Ugh, that hot, acidy gurgle, was working it’s way up my throat. It wasn’t full on yet, but enough that I knew I couldn’t do any yoga afterward without some miserable consequences.

DINNER.

For dinner, we went to a restaurant that I’ll admit I have missed. Macaroni Grill. I ordered lasagne, since it would be full of gluten, dairy, and nightshades, and instead of passing on the artisan bread, I indulged. It was good, but not what I had imagined. And when the waiter offered a soup or salad, I couldn’t hold back, of course, I wanted a salad too.

As I ate that bread, I felt a heaviness in my stomach–bloat. Ugh. That was a feeling I had forgotten about until today. I was so grateful for my side salad though, that made me happy, and I hoped it could have the strength to overpower the yucky way I was beginning to feel.

Then came the bill. $40 for 2 of us. It amazes me how many people tell me they can’t eat healthy or organic because it’s too expensive. But honestly, I could fill an entire basket with fresh fruits and veggies and healthy yummies for under $40!

Am I losing my mind too? lol. This picture is from inside the women’s bathroom at the Macaroni Grill–I thought I had been in the mens as I walked out! I don’t know why they had that on the door–but I’m sharing it so I can validate that I really haven’t lost my mind too! 🙂

MORNING.

I slept alright last night. The only thing that made sleeping difficult was the churning of my stomach. So I did a little tossing and turning, and got a little more sleep.

Waking up seemed a little more difficult than normal. I just felt a little beat up. As I rolled my hands into fists, I could feel inflammation. My joints were stiffer and more sore than they’ve been in a really long time. I’m not so sure I like this little assignment I’ve been given.

I got up and showered, but still felt a little sluggish. A weird thing is, it seems like my eyes are having a harder time focusing–I can’t tell if it’s actually affecting my eyesight, or if it’s just fogginess. The last thing I felt like doing was exercising, but I thought maybe I could counter some of the ill effects with a little exercise. So I went downstairs and walked on the treadmill a while. I did feel somewhat better with every step.

BREAKFAST.

I really didn’t feel much like eating this morning, so I just made up a piece of peanut butter toast. That and some water. I plan to drink as much water as I can this week, to flush this stuff through my system. But still, a little hint of heartburn started to return again, eew.

LUNCH.

I was thinking about going out to eat something, but I really have a hard time wasting money on foods that are about to make me sick. Plus the serving of last night’s lasagne was way too huge for one person to eat. So I pulled my leftover lasagne out of the fridge and heated it up. You can see in the picture how huge my leftovers were! It really didn’t have the same flavor and texture as it did the night before, but did have the same heavy effect on my stomach–hello bloat.

Right now, it’s close to 2 pm (my 24 hour mark) and I’m feeling pretty tired. And that foggy feeling is hitting again too. So maybe I’ll go down and do some more walking.

I’ve almost hit the first 24 hour mark of this journey and I can already say, I wish it was over. But I’ll hang in there, and keep doing all I can to combat the ill effects of this old diet that I used to think was so wonderful, and if you’d like to hear more over the next few days, please let me know, if it can help anyone, I’m happy to share!

My naturopath used muscle testing to test me for food allergies and intolerances…no needles needed and no eating nasty foods that trigger bad responses in my body needed either. He basically has a case of vials, each containing a different (concentrated?) allergen and he uses your muscle reactions to each one to gauge how your body reacts to it and determine which ones your body rejects (allergies). No discomfort whatsoever. It’s amazing how our bodies know what we shouldn’t have. 🙂

Maybe that kind of testing could be an alternative for you so you can skip the ‘feeling sick and then repairing from it’ weeks?

We’ve actually done that before, but found it to run into a lot of $$ and didn’t really see results–maybe we gave up too soon because we’ve heard of amazing results for others. It’s Tuesday night, so I only have 2 1/2 more days of this and hopefully it will allow the results needed. thanks!! xo